Aston Estate Pinot Noir 2020, Sonoma Coast, California

This bottling comes from its own block in the vineyard. The result in the glass is a balanced, expressive Pinot Noir that resonates with all the hallmark notes of the Estate vineyard. The 2019 Aston Estate has a muscular edge that really speaks to this rugged northern Sonoma Coast location. The nose starts savory with white pepper, forest floor, dried herbs and menthol. The fruit kicks in on the entry featuring elements of red and blue fruits framed by the tannin that comes in early. Tea notes come in at the end complementing the raspberry and boysenberry high toned finish. Aston Estate was launched in 2001 by three partners including winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, Frederick and Carol Schrader of Schrader Cellars and Chuck Sweeney of Vine Cliff. The Aston Estate style is different than the Rivers-Marie Pinot Noirs and is largely dictated by Frederick Schrader’s palate. The grapes are picked riper, the wines are fruit-driven and are less acid-driven, and they exhibit a blacker fruit profile. Thomas describes it as ‘an old Central Coast style .’